President Benigno Aquino III and Senator Bongbong Marcos. INQUIRER file photo.
Despite being at the receiving end of various attacks from the administration, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that should he become the country’s next vice president, he promised not go after President Benigno Aquino III.
In a luncheon with members of digital media and bloggers on Wednesday, Marcos said that he will seek an end to what he coined as “politics of vengeance.”
“All I can say is it should not be a part of the policy of government–to chase the past administration. I think there are so much work right in front of us. I think there are so many things that we in the Executive need to do,” Marcos said.
READ: Marcos to Aquino: Move on, we’ve been vindicated by Filipino vote
The opinion poll front-runner said that should any person file charges against Aquino, he said that he will let the Justice department handle it.
“If there are people who misbehaved, abused, or broke the law while in their time in government then let the courts decide. It is not for us in the other departments to worry about,” he said.
The son of the late dictator noted that being vengeful politicians has brought nothing but “erosion” of the country’s political institutions.
“What we have managed to do is to erode our institutions. We have eroded the judiciary. We have eroded the Supreme Court. We have already eroded the legislature. We have eroded the military… we are a developing country and it is so important that these institutions be strengthened rather than weakened,” Marcos explained.
“This continuing politics of the past, all it has succeeded to do was to erode our institutions,” he said.
The Aquino administration has launched an all-out offensive against Marcos’ bid for the vice presidency, emphasizing that he should atone for the “sins” of his dictator father, particularly the ill-gotten wealth amassed by their family and the human rights violations which transpired during the Martial Law.
READ: Aquino: Marcos children should apologize to Filipinos
However, he seemed to be unscathed from these remarks as he continued to lead opinion preference polls–with the Liberal Party’s vice presidential bet Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo catching up on him. JE